Alex Mercer
"My name is Alex Mercer. I'm the reason for all this. They call me a killer, a monster, a terrorist... I am all of these things." :―Alex Mercer Alex Mercer, codename: ZEUS, is the main protagonist and anti-hero of Prototype. He is the first sentient Blacklightbeing in existence and the infector of James Heller. OFFENSIVE POWERS Hammerfists The Hammerfists are Alex Mercer's first anti-vehicle ability. Large amount of biomass shifted into his fists, Alex can create massive, hammer-like hands which can be brought down to crush his enemies. Hammerfists can be bought from the Upgrade menu after the player unlocks the Claws. They do the most damage of any offensive power in the game, but are quite slow. Blade The Blade is one of the five offensive powers gained byMercer and Heller. When the power is activated, they grow an elongated double ended blade from their elbow downward, turning their arms into a giant razor sharp cutting machine. Though not as fast as the Claws, or as powerful as the Hammerfists, it provides a balance of these traits. Alex automatically gains this ability, along with Armor, once the parasite is removed and he regains his powers. Claws The Claws are Alex Mercer's primary anti-personnel power and the first offensive power acquired in-game. When activated, Alex shifts theBiomass in his arms into three-fingered, one-thumbed talon-like appendages that he can use to shred flesh and bone, with which he can tear through human-sized enemies with ease, however it is less effective against armor and larger BLACKLIGHT creatures. This power is unlocked after Alex first consumes aHunter in the main storyline. Whipfist The Whipfist is one of many abilities Alex Mercer has at his disposal, consisting of a tentacle with a blade at the end. Given its unique status as a ranged attack, the Whipfist is the weapon of choice when opposed by the recurring Helicopters the Player encounters. Devastators The Devastator attacks are Alex's "superweapons"; they inflict massive area damage to his surrounding at the cost of using up a portion of his critical mass health to execute. These moves can also be used while In Disguise. Tendril Barrage Devastator The Tendril Barrage causes spikes made of hard, fibrous tissue to erupt from Alex's body in every direction, impaling everything around him for a fair distance. It will wipe out entire crowds of humans and cause extreme damage to Hunters. Even the larger Leader Hunters will take a fair amount of damage. Armor is virtually immune. Groundspike Graveyard Devastator The Groundspike Graveyard is similar to the Groundspike power granted by the Claws. When used, it causes massive spikes of biomass to erupt from the ground, creating a deadly circle of spikes in close proximity to Alex. It is highly effective against hardened targets like Armor and buildings, but less effective than the Tendril Barrage against living enemies due to its shorter range and smaller amount of spikes. This Devastator can usually destroy a military base or Hive in two hits, three in later stages of the game. Critical Pain Devastator Critical Pain fires a hard mass of tissue from Alex's hands to crush a single target. It is the single most damaging move in the game, but can only be used to hit a specific target. Anything that happens to be between Alex and the target will also be affected. Musclemass The Musclemass power is obtained from the upgrade menu. It is purchasable after the Hammerfists and before the Whipfist power. While active, it boosts Alex's strength to immense proportions, increasing the damage done in close combat and the damage and distance of thrown objects. It is possible will reappear in PROTOTYPE 2. DEFENSIVE POWERS Armor The Armor is the second defensive power in Prototype. While in this form, Alex takes less damage, but the added density results in loss of movement speed. It also disables his Glide and Diveroll abilities. When sprinting, most of Alex's parkour abilities are disabled; he can still climb buildings, but while sprinting he will smash through anything in his path, be it cars, humans (infected or otherwise), or other small obstacles. Larger objects like tanks and heavier barriers will block his path. In addition, Alex will crush any human enemy he jumps on while the Armor is active, as if they were hit by Musclemass . It is automatically unlocked along with the Blade once the parasite is cured. Shield When using the Shield Power, Alex donates a large amount of biomass into his arm using the same process as the Blade but molding it into a black-biomass shield made of near impenetrable materials. It is normally not seen while Alex is standing still, and only as a mass on his shoulder, but is clearly shown when he is sprinting, targeting, or other more active moves. While running with the shield you basically become a living battering ram.